Though the Iliad portrays the Trojan War in a thorough fashion, War and Peace is undoubtedly a major structuring binary in the Odyssey. Upon first glance, those who participated in the Trojan War, such as Odysseus, Achilles, and Agamemnon, witnessed first-hand the valor, companionship, and glory that the battlefield brings forth, as evident in their conversations in Hades; the Greeks who did not participate in the war, devoid of the heroic experience, continued to feast, host one another, and conduct other ordinary Greek activities. The surviving Ithacan soldiers, sickened by the bloodshed and the long journey home, longed to return to the ordinary lives that they led on at home before this war took place, to reunite with family and walk on Ithacan soil. Those who lived in peace, like the Phaeacians, admired and yearned the bravery and cunning nature of the soldiers from the tales of the epic battle.
He had made twelve sties, one next to the other,
As beds for the swine, and in each were penned
Fifty wallowing swine—breeding females.
The boars slept outside, and were far scarcer,
Their numbers depleted by the godlike suitors
Who feasted on them.
(The Odyssey, Book XIV, lines 15-20)
The excerpt above exemplifies the breakdown of the war-peace binary at Ithaca. On the surface, Ithaca itself is at peace: suitors feasts in Odysseus’ residence, where Penelope and Telemachus take the roles of hosts. Unlike the Trojans, there is no outside enemies for the Ithacans at home to worry about. However, the excerpt from Book XIV conjures a powerful imagery that compares the most common livestock – hogs, to the soldiers that fought at the Trojan War. Like those solders, who entered the war in great numbers, the hogs were decimated through the hands of the enemy – the suitors who occupy Odysseus’ house. Through the exploitation of the host tradition in Greek culture, the suitors declared an economic war against Odysseus’ family, threatening to exhaust all its resources in order to force Penelope into re-marrying. In a sense, these pigs, which represents the larger idea of Penelope’s economic resources, are her soldiers in this war. Penelope, much like the Trojans with their impenetrable defense, cleverly dance around the suitors and stall for as much time as she can, while Telemachus seeks the aid of his father. Time is running out, however; like an army that lost all its soldiers, Penelope and Telemachus will no longer be able to defend against the suitors once their economic resources, such as these hogs, are depleted.
Fascinating reading of Eumaeus’ hogs!! They also remind me of Odysseus’ men, turned into swine on Circe’s island, earlier in the poem (and then, depleted–feasted on, in many cases!–in their encounters with Polyphemus, the Laestrygonians, etc).
This was a quite enjoyable read. I especially admired the unique structure of your post. You started off by explaining how the war-peace binary is a recurring theme throughout the Odyssey. Only after giving this background did you quote your passage and delve into the way this binary breaks down. Finally, your final sentence is a particularly effective summation of your overall point,
Also, it is noteworthy that comparing humans swine is not necessarily considered an insult in the ancient world. I wonder how and why that changed throughout history.
Great post!